With the Legislature meeting on Tuesday for a special session, one-third of the House members were not in Tallahassee in the last session. Of the 120 members of the House that will convene, 37 of them won election for the first time in November.

The new members have a wide array of backgrounds, including a former Iowa insurance commissioner, a former chief of staff to Marco Rubio and a football player coached by Bobby Bowden. But there are also some familiar faces as three former members -- two Republicans and one Democrat -- return to the House.

 

Republican Larry Ahern defeated Democratic Rep. Janet Long to represent parts of Pinellas County. An Air Force vet and a small-business man, Ahern served on the St. Petersburg Nuisance Abatement Board and the county sheriff’s advisory board. A Catholic, Ahern has been active with church activities, serving on the pastoral council of St. Jude the Apostle Cathedral as well as in charitable activities.

Ben Albritton, a Republican, takes the place of retiring Rep. Baxter Troutman, representing Hardee County and parts of Highlands and Polk counties. A native Floridian whose family has deep ties to the citrus industry, Albritton served as chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission.

The son of Cubans who fled the Castro regime, Republican Frank Artiles, who was elected to the seat that had been held by term-limited Rep. J.C. Zapata, brings a diverse array of experience to the Florida House. A lawyer by training, Artiles, who will represent parts of Miami-Dade, served in Iraq as a Marine and owns a pair of mall businesses.